Married and living in England under the name Michael Schaeffer, the assassin known as the Butcher's Boy is the target of a Mafia hit team sent to exact revenge for his deadly campaign against the Balacontano family years earlier. Schaeffer kills all three attackers, but he knows more will come and needs to find whoever sent them to end it once and for all. Soon Elizabeth Waring, now high up in the Organized Crime Division of the Justice Department, receives a surprise late-night visit from the Butcher's Boy. Knowing she keeps track of the Mafia, he asks her who the three men work for. Not knowing they have been murdered, she gives him a name: Frank Tosca, an aspirant to the Balacontano throne. In exchange, he tells her about a murder Tosca committed over twenty years ago. So begins a new assault on organized crime, and the uneasy alliance between the Butcher's Boy and Waring, who trade current information for old secrets. As the Butcher's Boy works his way ever closer to his quarry in an effort to protect his new way of life, Waring finds herself in a race against time, either to convince him to become a protected informant or to take him out of commission for good. Download and start listening now!

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Quotes & Awards

“There are probably only half a dozen suspense writers alive who can be
depended upon to deliver high-voltage shocks; vivid, sympathetic
characters; and compelling narratives each time they publish. Thomas
Perry is one of them.”

Stephen King

Perry offers a compelling, rapid-fire plot, credible Mafia and FBI secondary characters, an indictment of self-serving officialdom, and the old soul-shattering moral dilemma: what is truth?Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“Thomas Perry is, quite simply, brilliant. And as each book comes out he becomes more so.”

Robert B. Parker

“A book-length war of nerves that accentuates the best of Mr. Perry’s
gift for using pure logic and gamesmanship to generate breathless
nonstop suspense.”

New York Times

“Perry offers a compelling, rapid-fire plot, credible Mafia and FBI
secondary characters, an indictment of self-serving officialdom, and the
old soul-shattering moral dilemma: What is truth?”

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Perry is a consummate craftsman. No one makes killing bad guys more
fun, no one is smarter at blending research and invention, and no one
offers a higher body count of ingenious hits.”

Listener Opinions

Sharron | 1/26/2014

" Totally implausible story but so compelling that you just don't care. Non stop thrills with two great characters. Dont miss it. "

Cari | 1/6/2014

" This was a solid third in the Butcher's Boy series, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the others. I was bit irritated with some danging plot lines from the previous 2 novels and was not fully on board with the premise for the Butcher's Boy's return in this version. But Perry continues to deliver exciting page turners - a good listen. "

Lynne | 12/18/2013

" Perry is always good, so this was an enjoyable read. "

Michael Depalo | 12/13/2013

" First book about The Butcher's Boy I have read. I have enjoyed other Perry books, so I knew I was going to be caught up in the story from the beginning, and I was not disappointed. Five stars! "

William | 12/13/2013

" The Butcher's Boy is back. The professional hitman is forced out of retirement when a rising mafioso sends professional killers to eliminate him. Lots of shoot-em-up action. One of Perry's best, but the ending is rather abrupt and unsatisfying. "

Greg Jones | 11/29/2013

" Listened to this in my car. I thought it was just 'OK.' Don't tell the Butcher's Boy that I said that!! GJJ "

Alecia | 11/3/2013

" As I keep reading Thomas Perry's books, there is a similarity to his main characters and writing style that I've begun to note. Although this book has a ruthless cold-blooded killer as a protagonist (along with a female Justice Department Official), there are similarities between The Butcher's Boy (this novel's main character) and his Jane Whitefield heroine. Although this Butcher's Boy is a cold-blooded, ruthless killer, his thought processes and actions are detailed much like Whitefield's in that series. I find myself getting lulled by Perry's very dry, detail-laden prose. I think what's missing in his novels is "juice",or some kind of passion in his characters or in the telling of his stories. I find them too dry, with too much mundane detail crammed into every inch of his character's thought processes. Another cold-blooded killer from Richard Stark, in his Parker series, has much the same premise. But Stark's prose is sparer, and therefore the stories move along at a much smoother and more enjoyable pace, at least for me.
I liked the resolutions of this novel, but I found the reading somewhat tedious. I'd actually give it a 2.5 rating if I could. "

Lee Goldberg | 10/31/2013

" Excellent addition to the BUTCHER BOY saga. The book is told in two parallel tracks...the stories of ruthlessly efficient assassin known as The Butcher Boy and Justice Dept agent Elizabeth Waring, which converge in several key spots. The book sags in the Waring portions, but the rest just crackles. "

Margery | 9/19/2013

" A true page-turner..loved this mystery. This is Thomas Perry's best book in a long time. "

Agnes Muscoreil | 6/15/2013

" ,A hired killer, forced out of retirement, says hello again to an old adversary"nonstop suspense from the time you pick up the book to the very end. The hit man is on all the OTHER hitmen's list. "

Janet Richards | 2/13/2013

" More listening while with Jason in the hospital. Primarily on the trips back and forth. Pretty violent, but also good cat & mouse between the assassin and the Justice Department agent. Good wrap up to the series. "

Lynn Kearney | 7/15/2012

" Lots of implausibilities, but the search and hide aspects remind me of the Jane Whitefield books which I loved. So I liked this one quite a lot. "

Marla Madison | 2/28/2012

" For me this had way too much endless backstory and mafia background. The reader loves the Butcher Boy though, and sticks with the story. The end was amazingly good! Worth hanging in for. "

Mary Drayer | 12/30/2011

" This is book #3 about a mafia hitman who we grow to like and admire and of course the FBI. I am hooked. "

Jill | 12/5/2011

" A fast read but well written. You get to know the "Butcher Boy" and how he thinks. His relationship with his wife is not very convincing, but how he goes after the Mafia who have put out a contract on his life is fascinating. Great, escapist summer reading. "

Lynette | 5/25/2011

" I really loved this book. It is #3 in the Butcher's Boy series and hopefully will be followed bu more. Perry is an outstanding author. I have read several of his stand alone books.
"

Ken | 5/21/2011

" Great pick up of the story started in The Butcher's Boy. Both characters have matured and become better.
"

Doug | 5/9/2011

" I've not read Perry before, but after The Informant I believe I'll make it a point to seek out some of his other work. This is a well told story which is pretty much typical of the genre but with enough twists to make it a page turner.
"

Tom | 5/8/2011

" Another thriller by Thomas Perry very bloody book. About the
butcher boy who is an assassin. If you want to start at the
beginning get a book called The Butcher's Boy.
"

Other Titles by Thomas Perry:

About the Author

Thomas Perry received a BA from Cornell University and a PhD in English from the University of Rochester. He won an Edgar for The Butcher’s Boy, and Metzger’s Dog was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He lives in Southern California.

About the Narrator

Michael Kramer is an AudioFile Earphones Award winner, an Audie Award nominee, and recipient of a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award. He is also an actor and director in the Washington, DC, area, where he is active in the area’s theater scene and has appeared in productions at the Shakespeare Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and Theater J.

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